Oct 072024
 

Dow Jones Industrial Average was created in 1896 to give a snapshot of the overall trends of the stock market. The original average contained twelve stocks. The stocks were: American Cotton Oil Company, American Sugar Company, American Tobacco Company, Chicago Gas Company, Distilling and Cattle Feeding Company, General Electric, Laclede Gas Company, National Lead Company, North American Company, Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company,  U.S. Leather Company, and United States Rubber Company. Today thirty stocks comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and none of the original companies are part of the Dow. General Electric was part of the Dow until June 2018. Children can view an interesting interactive graphic at: https://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/02/history-of-dow-30.html.